Rui Daiken—Inspectorate agent, and a Knight who had just shed his Apprentice title to become a Novice Knight—read the orders delivered to his office.
『Red Fang Subjugation Operation.
Operation Commander: Rui Daiken.』
The orders were simple. Annihilate the criminal syndicate entrenched in the Isra District's abandoned factory.
But there was something he could not understand.
"That Sion Karsen really killed the Hashman brothers and dug up the intelligence?"
He let out a scoff.
"There is no way."
The Sion Karsen he knew was absolutely not that kind of man.
Back when Rui had not yet been an Apprentice Knight.
The day he had been assigned to guard a noble.
The disgraceful spectacle of Sion getting drunk and causing a scene at an aristocratic social party was still vivid in his memory.
Making passes at handmaidens.
Looking down on the escorts.
Toying with commoners. Scum.
A moron.
That was the extent of what Sion Karsen amounted to in Rui Daiken's mind.
The day he had caught Yoen Hashman, Sion had surely pulled some kind of trick.
And yet.
His eyes slid to the newspaper on the table. The headlines grated on his nerves.
『Sion Karsen, leading the charge by executing the Hashman brothers for the territory's people.』
『Sion Karsen.
A predator who has been hiding his fangs?』
Unbelievable. Since ability would not get him there, now he was buttering up public opinion? Sickening.
And on top of that.
『Sion Karsen.
Throws down the gauntlet at the Golden Star Tournament.』
CRUNCH—
Rui Daiken ground his teeth.
Since childhood, he had never let the sword leave his hand. He had kept his body and mind pure.
He had never slacked in his training. He had endured every agonizing stage of the selection process, and at last he had completed his apprenticeship to become an official Knight—
And now, at the Golden Star Tournament, the sacred stage of noble Knights, a bottom-feeder dared slither in to muddy the waters.
"Fuck."
Sion Karsen.
What kind of bullshit situation was this?
Had the Lord actually approved that bastard?
Someone born of noble blood who had given up after a pittance of effort, now waging pointless PR campaigns—that piece of trash?
Rui Daiken could not tolerate Sion Karsen. He was a stain on the prestige of a great house and a blight on the honor of Knighthood.
"Fine. Let us see how far you get."
Rui Daiken signed the operation orders, then drafted an additional request.
『Supplemental Force Request.
In the subjugation of an armed organization, misinterpretation of intelligence is a factor that increases allied casualties.
Therefore, the participation of Agent Sion Karsen, who provided the Red Fang hideout intelligence, would improve informational accuracy and reduce potential losses.
Accordingly, I request the temporary assignment of Sion Karsen, currently on [Classified Mission].』
Rui Daiken handed the request to his adjutant for delivery, then returned to his office.
And.
He spread the dry newspaper open once more.
"Do not run away. Half-wit."
***
The hill behind House Karsen's grand mansion.
The underground cavern beneath the ruins.
Sion Karsen drew auspicious mana from his Star Ring. The flame domain mana meshed with the atmospheric oxygen and sparked fire.
WHOOOOSH—
As the darkness retreated, the vast space finally came into view. The sprawling cavern seemed to say:
—Never forget that this is the ruins of dead gods.
Sion stood before the wall directly opposite from where he had been absorbing the flame dragon vein. He gazed at the wall for a moment, then offered a brief prayer.
"O Lumen. Guide my path."
Then he ignited a flame at his fingertip and began tracing a magic circle from the myths.
He sealed the space with a round circle, and on the right side, he carved the symbols of Lumen and Chronos.
On the opposite side, he etched the symbol of the "God of the Dark Moon," said to have been the Sun God's adversary.
RUMBLE-RUMBLE-RUMBLE—
With a roar that shook the earth, the wall split apart on either side, and a massive iron gate appeared.
A double-doored gate. On one side, half of a blue dragon was painted. On the other, half of a red dragon.
The two dragons met at the center of both doors, merging into a single image—a decalcomania.
The dragon carved into the iron gate had its savage jaws spread wide, and on the tip of its tongue sat an orb that resembled a dragon pearl.
Almost like a door handle.
Sion closed his eyes before opening the gate. He needed a moment to steel himself.
The dungeon's first floor required, at minimum, one Intermediate Knight and two 4-Star Mages.
And his current level?
4-Star in magic. Swordsmanship hovering somewhere between Apprentice and Novice.
By any measure, soloing the first floor with his current abilities was madness.
'Even so, I have to push through.'
Dungeons—discovered at vanishingly slim odds within the ruins of gods who vanished long ago.
Why every dungeon was structured as five underground floors.
Why each descending floor grew more dangerous yet offered greater rewards.
Why they were hidden so thoroughly.
No one knew.
But.
Sion had to conquer this dungeon.
For two reasons.
First.
To obtain the elixir said to strengthen the Core.
To acquire the Flame-Frost Dragon's Breath.
And to mine Sun Stones to secure capital.
Second.
Before the regression. The day the North fell.
To prevent that nightmare from repeating.
When the monsters blanketed sky and earth and pushed through the front lines, the North had been attacked from both within and without.
The human traitors had, through unknown means, unsealed the [Flame-Frost Dragon's Dungeon], and hordes of demonic beasts had poured out from within the territory itself.
This time, he would never allow that to happen. And the best method was to conquer and eliminate the dungeon entirely.
Sion opened his eyes.
He checked the artifacts he had purchased at 12 Magical Devices.
The ring on his finger—Thunder Strike, which granted lightning-fast movement.
The ice sword at his waist—Snowpeak Blossom.
The teal necklace—April Sprout, which boosted physical recovery.
The dagger strapped to his leg—Blast Strike, which detonated with a thunderous explosion on impact.
He inspected each of the scrolls packed in his cross-body bag one by one.
Before a fierce battle, preparing without regard for means or methods. That was what separated a Knight from a Mage.
GRIP.
He grasped the dragon pearl.
It was not that he felt no fear.
But.
He channeled mana into it with a sharp breath.
A brief silence.
RUMBLE-RUMBLE-RUMBLE—
A heavy vibration rang out as the iron gate opened. Inside the doorway stood a guide panel carved from stone.
Pass through three chambers.
And receive the Breath.
So the first floor consisted of three chambers. He crammed the information into his head and looked ahead. A path of rough stone stretched before him.
Following the path inward, a vast cavern opened up, and at its far end stood another iron gate.
At that moment.
THOOM. The door behind him slammed shut.
GRRRRR—
A chilling low-frequency rumble echoed through the air.
His knees went weak. Not from genuine fear—but because that growl was [Fear], a demonic beast technique designed to instill terror in its targets.
AWOOOOO—
From holes in the cavern walls, predators who had caught his scent began showing themselves, one by one.
Ember Wolves.
Between the ashen fur covering their bodies, embers flickered like manes. The fangs jutting from their jaws glowed like burning coals, and sparks flew from the ground with every step they took.
Each was five times the size of a grown man. Their strength was on the level of a Novice Knight. And there were roughly a hundred of them.
By all accounts, the odds were hopeless. That is, if Sion were not a regressor.
Right now, he was not the half-wit Sion. He was humanity's last survivor. The Resistance's Duckie.
"Sorry, but I don't have time. I'll finish you all in one go."
RUSTLE.
He unfurled a magic scroll.
"[Fly]."
WHOOOM—
Powerful mana enveloped his body and lifted him at the command of his will.
Duration: 5 minutes.
Maximum height: 10 meters.
As he rose to the ceiling, the Ember Wolves snarled ferociously.
BARK! BARK-BARK-BARK! BARK-BARK!
Several also crouched low. Preparing to leap.
Sion quietly stilled his mind.
He simply gripped the ice sword.
Channeled mana into it.
Unfurled the magic scrolls.
"[Attribute Conversion], [Ice Barrier], [Frost Enhancement]."
Sion's flame domain magic was converted into cold, frost domain magic—and flowed into the ice sword.
A transparent barrier of frost formed in a sphere around him, and the chill condensed to an even deeper cold.
All Formal Magic of 4-Star or below.
Time limit: roughly ten minutes.
CRASH—!
Three Ember Wolves kicked off the ground and launched themselves upward. The floor cracked beneath them as they shot up like arrows.
Flames erupted from their coal-like fangs, and they slammed into the Ice Barrier.
BOOM! CRACK-CRACK—
The impact hammered his ears, and for an instant, a sharp ringing pierced through.
The reinforced Ice Barrier had been half-shattered. One Ember Wolf drove through the gap. Its savage jaws rushed in as if to tear Sion's shoulder clean off.
CLANG—!
Sion struck its teeth with the ice sword, blocking the bite. The beast's crushing force traveled down the blade. Pain shot through his wrist bones. It felt like his body was being ground down.
The instant those jaws closed, his arm would be gone. But Sion calmly fed mana into the ice sword.
He wrung every last drop of pure mana from the Star Ring. Through the Attribute Conversion spell, the flame domain mana became frigid mana.
SIZZLE—
The Ember Wolf's mouth froze solid. Its fangs lost their heat and crumbled into tiny fragments.
Sion swallowed hard and drove the ice sword into the beasts' chests.
SQUELCH—! YELP! WHIMPER! WHIIINE!
They suddenly cried out like wounded dogs, but he paid them no mind and wrenched the blade left and right.
SLASH—!
Against fire-attribute demonic beasts, the ice sword was the ultimate weakness. Lukewarm blood erupted in a torrent.
Sion kept swinging the sword without stopping, even as demonic beast blood drenched him.
SLASH—!
Soon the dead Ember Wolves fell to the ground.
THUD! THUD! THUD!
Seeing that, the remaining Ember Wolves held back and began circling around Sion's position.
A hunting formation. They intended to wait until his mana ran dry, then attack all at once.
Unfortunately for them, Sion was not their prey.
His eyes glowed red. Facing powerful enemies, they burned even hotter.
Thunder Strike, the ring on Sion's finger, flared with light.
CRACKLE.
Lightning coursed through Sion's body, and electricity crawled across the ground.
"I don't have time."
Karsen-style Classical Swordplay, Revised.
Surging Lightning.
RUMBLE—
A bolt of lightning shot from ceiling to floor in an instant, crackling against the earth as it zigzagged between the Ember Wolves.
CRASH—!
It was truly a single heartbeat of time.
What resistance could they offer?
The Ember Wolves turned to look at Sion, who now stood at the far entrance of the underground cavern, having passed through them all.
And in that instant. Every Ember Wolf's head slid apart. Some had their bodies cleaved in two entirely.
Electricity crackled across the floor. Behind it, a faint chill lingered.
A hundred demonic beasts fell simultaneously. Reduced to corpses.
RUMBLE—
The door to the next chamber opened.
"Phew."
At last, Sion exhaled.
But.
"HURK!"
He suddenly clutched his chest and collapsed. The backlash from overusing the artifacts and scrolls.
"Hah. Hah. Hah......"
Powerful scrolls and artifacts devour the user's body and mind.
On top of that, he had used mana of a different affinity than his native flame domain mana, making the agony all the more extreme.
It felt like his heart was being incinerated.
With one exception.
The healing artifact.
FLASH—
April Sprout, the necklace around Sion's neck, drastically amplified his recovery.
"INHALE. EXHALE."
After several deep breaths, Sion gathered his strength and walked through the opened door.
Onward to the next chamber.
At the very least, for the man he was right now.
There was no retreat.